Tomato-peeling machine.



No. 805,369. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.

I D. MARSHALL.

TOMATO FEELING MACHINE.

APPLIOATI ON FILED 00114.1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TOMATO-PEELING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed October 14, 1904. Serial No. 228,454.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID MARSHALL, manufacturer, of the city ofHamilton, in the county of Wentworth, in the Province of Ontarlo,Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTomato-Peeling Maghines, of which the following is a specificaion.

My invention relates to improvements in tomato-peeling machines, and theobject of the invention is to provide a simple and cheap device whichwill peel the skin and remove the core from the tomato; and it consists,essentially, of a shaft mounted on suitable standards, a wheel securedto the shaft, a series of plates secured'to the wheel and forming a drumand having openings therein provided with radial prongs and a diametricbridge having a central coring-ring, a pair of pulleys secured to asuitablestandard, a belt in the pulley designed to press against theperiphery of the drum over the annular openings, a centralpressure-roller designed to press the belt against the drum, and astrippingknife suitably supported and held against the inner peripheryof the drum, the arts being arranged and constructed in deta' ashereinafter more particularly explained. Figure 1 is a perspective viewof my machine. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the stripping andcoring plates attached to a portion of the supporting-wheel. Fig. 3 is adetail cross-sectional view of one of the plates with the bridge andcore-separator. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the arts shown in Fig. 3.

In the drawings lil e letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin each figure.

A is the supporting-frame.

1 Bbis the driving-shaft, provided with a pul- 0 is a wheel secured onthe shaft B, and C represents plates secured to the ring or wheel bybolts 0.

C is an openin formed in each plate, provided with radia y-arrangedportions 0 extending in proximity to the center of the opening.

D is a diametrically-arranged bridge having a central annular ring (1.The ring and the bridge are provided with sharpened outer edges, asshown, Fig. 2.

E is a standard secured to the main frame A, having arms e e.

E and E are idler-pulleys supported on studs 6 in proximity to theperiphery of the drum formed by the plates C F is an endless beltextending around the pulleys E and. E and designed to press against theperiphery of the drum in alinement with the openings C.

F is a roller located intermediate of the length of the belt and desined to press the belt against the drum and help to force the tomatothrough the openings in the plates. This roller is supported on an armof the standard E.

G is a knife for severing the body of the tomato from the skin after themajor portion of the skin has been taken from the tomato.

Having described the principal parts involved in my invention, I shallbriefly describe the operation of the same. A rotary movement is givento the wheel C through the driving-pulley b and shaft B. The tomatoesare fed onto the revolving plates C by a suitable feeding device andbrought centrally onto the prongs c in the opening C and are carriedunder the belt F, which presses the tomato through the openings. Theskin of the tomato is thereby torn off by the prongs and the-parts ofthe tomato separated at the center by the core-ring d. The knife Gcompletes the separation of the tomato from the skin. The skin iscarried outside the wheel to a suitable receptacle and the tomatoes alsodrop into a separate suitable receptacle.

From this description it will be seen that I have provided a very simplemachine by which the tomatoes are thoroughly peeled and the core is cutout for canning purposes. The drum, it will be noticed, has its spokesarranged to one side, so that the drum provides an overhanging rim whichis free and unobstructed so far as the space within it is concerned, andinto this space the cutter G projects, the said cutter being supportedon one side of the drum upon the standard E.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In combination, in a tomato-peelingmachine, a rotary drum having its periphery provided with openingsthrough which the tomatoes are to be pressed, the said peripheryoverhanging the drum at one side and leaving an unobstructed spacewithin it, means for pressing the tomato upon the periphery of the drumand cutting means extendin into the unobstructed space, substantia y asdescribed.

2. In combination in a tomato-peeling machine, a frame a rotary drumhaving its supporting-spokes arranged near one edge there of whereby itsperiphery overhangs an unob structed space, said periphery havingopenings therein, a support extending up from the frame to one side ofthe drum, a band arranged over the drum for pressing the tomato throughthe openings, pulleys about which the band passes, said pulleys beingcarried by the support and a knife also carried by the support, saidknife extending into the unobstructed space within the periphery of thedrum, substantially as described.

3. A tomato-peeling machine comprising a rotatable Wheel suitablysupported and driven, a series of plates secured to the Wheel and havingannular openings therein provided with radially and inwardly extendingV-shaped prongs with a central opening between the free ends of theprongs and with means for cutting the cores from the tomatoes and meansfor forcing the tomatoes through the openings as and for the purposespecified.

4. In a device of the class described, a plate having an annular openingprovided with radially-arranged and inwardly-extending prongs, and adiametrically located bridge having a central annular opening havingupper sharpened edges, said prongs being of such a length as to leave aspace between their inner ends and the said edges, as and for thepurpose specified.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a drumprovided with a series of arc-shaped plates secured thereto in proximityto each other and each having an opening therein provided withradially-arranged and inwardly-extending prongs, and a bridge andcentral ring sharpened on its upper edge, said ring being located withinthe opening formed by the inner ends of the prongs at a distance fromsaid ends, and means for forcing the tomato through the opening as andfor the purpose specified.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a drumprovided with a series of arc-shaped plates secured thereto in proximityto each other and each having an opening therein provided withradially-arranged and inwardly-extending prongs, and a bridge andcentral ring sharpened on its upper ed e means for forcing the tomatothrough the opening, and a knife suitably supported and projecting underthe plates as and for the purpose specified.

DAVID MARSHALL.

Witnesses:

M. MoLAREN, A. NEWLANDS.

